- ‘Nauras’ at National Museum
unveils the cultural peak of 16th-19th C southern sultanates
New Delhi, Jan 27: National Museum
(NM) opened today a first-of-its-kind exhibition that exclusively unveils the
art of Deccani sultanates during the 16th and 19th centuries when the
upper-peninsular provinces of India were steeped in unprecedented
cosmopolitanism.
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| 'Nauras' exhibition opens at National Museum as D-G Venu Vasudevan and Renu Judge of The Aesthetics Project cut the ribbon. Left of him are curators Preeti Bahadur and Kavita Singh |
‘Nauras:
The Many Arts of the Deccan’ was inaugurated by NM Director-General Dr Venu
Vasudevan along with Renu Judge who heads The Aesthetics Project which is a
co-organiser of the 53-day show that has had no precedents in the country,
where the culture of southern sultanates has been over-shadowed by the
contemporaneous Mughal art.
Curated by art historians Dr Preeti
Bahadur and Dr Kavita Singh, the exhibition has all but one set of its 120-odd
objects that have been the property of the 1949-founded NM—either taken out of
its reserves or moved in from its galleries where they were on display. A
fabulous sequence of Ragamala paintings has come in from the National Gallery
of Modern Art, thus making ‘Nauras’ a
joint venture in more ways than one.
The six-section ‘Nauras’, designed in grey-blue interiors
by independent professional Oroon Das, displays exquisite paintings,
manuscripts, metal-ware, textiles and arms the Deccani sultanates generated
with their highly skilled artists and craftsmen amid a grand convergence of
several cultures it witnessed for almost 400 years, more so during the 18th and
19th centuries. This was facilitated owing to the peninsula’s trade contacts
with regions as far as Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe.
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| Jambia of Aurangzeb |
Dr Vasudevan, speaking on the
occasion which was attended by NGMA director Rajeev Lochan among others, noted
that ‘Nauras’, which is on till March
20, could be an “ideal template” of a case collaboration between a public,
private and academic institution.
As for showing Deccani exhibits
exclusively, he said, “We never had such an interesting offer”, and thanked The
Aesthetics Project along with curators of both Nauras and NM’s collections.
Ms Judge, who is trustee and sponsor
of the 2014-founded The Aesthetics Project that strives to give academics,
artisans and performers a platform to explore a variety of topics on India’s
art history and its aesthetic heritage, said ‘Nauras’ is a contemporary narrative to an ancient theme. “It takes
a refreshing view at a rich part of our history,” she added.
Dealing with Deccani
cosmopolitanism, ‘Nauras’ throws
light at the singing sultans, the perfume in the Deccani Garden, the Mughal
Presence in Deccan, the trade goods made in the region and royal lineages.
The cynosures include a painting of
marbled horses that shows Rustom capturing a horse, leaves from an early
Ragamala from Ahmednagar or Bijapur, a Kalamkari coverlet of 1630, an
18th-century Qanat from Burhanpur, a
hanging embroidered temple (Vijayanagara), the Kitab-i-Nauras manuscript and Deccani copies of the Ajaib al Makhluqat that narrates the
wonders of the world, besides the armour of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb who
had fought military campaigns in the Deccan.
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| Kalamkari Coverlet |
The Exhibition also shows the Al -Buraaq, which is a composite
creature believed to be the steed of Prophet Mohammed for his flight to
paradise. The stylistic features of this painting hint at an influence from
Persia, also incorporating visual traditions of Central Asia, Turkey and Iran.
A magnificent Kalamkari coverlet
from the National Museum Decorative Arts Department exemplifies “Deccani Cosmopolitanism” at its best.
The textile was used to cover an item to be traded, and is possibly an import
from overseas. The episode depicted is of a Deccani king relaxing in his grand
palace that resembles South Asian architectural tradition. The figures
surrounding this palace can be identified as belonging to different regions of
the world based on their attire. There are figures from Armenia, the Mughal
Kingdom, China, and also Turkey.
A collection of poems dealing with
the nine rasas (sentiments) of Indian
aesthetics, the Kitab-I-Nauras was
written by Ibrahim Adil Shah II of of Bijapur. The manuscript was illustrated
by Khalillullah, an Irani calligrapher who worked at the Safavid court before
being employed at the court of this ruler. Scholars have ascertained that the
Ragamala painting traditions of Mughal and Rajput cultures may have originated
in Deccan and traveled northwards.
Deccani arms and armour gained
popularity among the Mughals, as a result of Aurangzeb’s incursions and short
rule in this region. Many Mughal mansabdars
were settled here and the Deccani swords and daggers became very popular among
them. The arms were made here as well as imported through maritime trade.
The exhibition showcases the Shamshir sword, the Khanjar and the Jambia
daggers of Aurangzeb that have his name inscribed. The Jambia dagger is in itself an overseas import, being popular in
Arabia and regions with which the Arabs had trade links.
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